Vermont police departments react to President's comments about use of force

For Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo, use of force by police officers is never a laughing matter.

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Updated: 8:40 PM EDT Jul 31, 2017

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WEBVTT LOOKING TO KICK START SALES.ANNOUNCER: THIS IS NBC 5 NEWS AT5:30 P.M. STEPHANIE: HI, EVERYONE.I'M STEPHANIE GORIN.STEWART LEDBETTER IS OFF.THE PRESIDENT APPEARED TOADVOCATE FOR ROUGHING UPSUSPECTS WHILE SPEAKING ABOUTSTOPPING GANG VIOLENCE IN NEWYORK CITY LAST WEEK.TAKE A LISTEN.PRESIDENT TRUMP: I SAID, "PLEASEDON'T BE TOO NICE," LIKE WHENYOU'RE PUTTING SOMEBODY IN THECAR, AND YOU ARE PROTECTINGTHEIR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS, ANDTHEY JUST KILLED SOMEONE, AND ISAID, "YOU CAN TAKE THE HANDAWAY."STEPHANIE: WELL THOSE COMMENTS, ARE SPARKING REACTION FROMPOLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS OURREGION.THAT INCLUDES BURLINGTON NBC 5'S HELENA BATTIPAGLIA JOINSUS LIVE FROM THERE TONIGHT.HELENA.HELENA: WELL, I SPOKE WITHBURLINGTON'S POLICE CHIEF HERABOUT THOSE COMMENTS, AND HETELLS ME THAT JOKING ABOUTPOLICE USE OF FORCE IS NEVEROK, EVEN TAKING TO SOCIAL MEDIATO EXPRESS HIS DISAPPROVAL.I THINK THE PRESIDENT'SREMARKS WERE NOT HELPFUL.THERE ARE JUST THINGS YOU DO NOTJOKE ABOT EVER.HELENA: FOR BURLINGTON POLICECHIEF BRANDON DEL POZO USE OFFORCE BY POLICE OFFICERS IS NOLAUGHING MATTER. FOLLOWING PRESIDENT TRUMP'SCOMMENTS LAST WEEK ENCOURAGINGPOLICE OFFICERS TO NOT BE TOONICE WITH THE PEOPLE THEYARREST, DEL POZO AND HISDEPARTMENT TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA,TWEETING A MESSAGE THAT READS,"IT IS OUR SWORN DUTY TO PROTECTPEOPLE FROM UNJUSTIFIED VIOLENCEAND HARM, NO MATTER WHODISAGREES.">> PEOPLE DO NOT DISTINGUISHBETWEEN THE VARIOUS UNIFORMSTHEY SEE.THEY THINK THAT ONE COP SPEAKSFOR ANOTHER, AND, OF COURSE, THEPRESIDENT SPEAKS.HELENA: WATERBURY POLICE CHIEFJOBY FECCIA THINKS OFFICERS LIKEHIS WILL NOT CHANGE THEY WAYTHEY DO THEIR JOBS.>> IT WILL NOT AFFECT THINGS ONA DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, AND, ITHINK, AROUND THE COUNTRY.HELENA: HE AGREES THAT JOKINGABOUT POLICE USE OF FORCE IS NOTAPPROPRIATE AT THAT AT THE ENDOF THE DAY LOCAL DEPARTMENTS, DON'T TAKE DIRECTION FROM THEPRESIDENT.A RESPONSE TO RESISTENCE POLICYIS WHAT WATERBURY OFFICERS HAVETO ABIDE BY WHEN MAKING ARRESTAND SAYS, IN SHORT REASONABLE, FORCE IS ONLY THAT FORCE WHICHIS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISHLAWFUL OBJECTIVES.ALL RESPONSES TO RESISTANCE MUSTBE OBJECTIVELY REASONABLE.FECCIA SAYS MANY OTHERDEPARTMENTS HAVE POLICIES JUSTLIKE IT.MEANWHILE, DEL POZO HOPES PEOPLEDON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUTPOLICE OFFICERS BECAUSE OF THETHE PRESIDENT'S REMARK>> PEOPLE IN POLICE LEADERSHIPHAVE BEEN UNANIMOUS IN HOWINAPPROPRIATE THE PRESIDENT'SCOMMENTS WERE, AND I AGREE WITHTHAT.

Vermont police departments react to President's comments about use of force

For Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo, use of force by police officers is never a laughing matter.

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"I think the president's remarks were tone-deaf and unhelpful," del Pozo said. "There are just certain things you just don't joke about in America, ever."

Following President Trump's comments last week, encouraging police officers to "not be too nice" with the people they arrest, del Pozo and his department took to social media, tweeting a message that read, "It is our sworn duty to protect people from unjustified violence and harm, no matter who disagrees."

Waterbury Police Chief Joby Feccia said his officers will not change they way they do their jobs

"Nothing the president said is going to affect how law enforcement happens on a day-to-day basis here in Vermont or throughout the country," Feccia said.

He agreed that joking about police use of force isn't appropriate, but said that at the end of the day, departments don't take direction from the president.

"We take our direction from policy," Feccia said.

A "Response to resistance policy" is what Waterbury officers have to abide by when making arrests.

It says, in short, "reasonable force is only that force which is necessary to accomplish lawful objectives. All responses to resistance must be objectively reasonable."